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Topic: I need fret board design Ideas. |
Dennis Brown
From:
Gowen, Mi. USA
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Posted 14 Oct 2009 11:45 am |
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Does anyone out there have an Idea they might be willing to share? I've been racking my brain, trying to come up with a different, yet great looking fret board for this 6 string aluminum creature I'm making.
Thanks in advance for your time. Dennis
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Dennis Brooker
From:
Iowa, USA
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Posted 14 Oct 2009 12:20 pm
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Dennis - Dennis here, have you come up with a name for the guitar? Do you want something standard or do you want something "out side the box"? Out side of the box is my specialty  - What are you going to make the fretboard out of? As I recall your son is doing the machine work -
I can create 2D CNC files - How about something cut out of sheet metal and then have it color powder coated? Or, you could just spray paint it as well or have a body shop spray it with some nice candy apple red? Maybe metalflake blue?
I could also create files so you could have plexiglas laser etched locally and fill in the etched area with different colored paint(s) and then back the plexi with what ever color of vinyl you wanted -
These ideas would allow you to change the fretboard whenever you got bored with it - I got more ideas if you want them but these are at least a start - Others will come up with some good ideas as well - DB |
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Dennis Brown
From:
Gowen, Mi. USA
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Posted 14 Oct 2009 2:39 pm Design
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Hello there Dennis B. good to hear from you again.
All great Ideas you have there. What I'm looking for is, Designs for fret markers. You got your dashes, your dots and your ????. My son has mentioned the woman siloete(sp)like you might see on a truckers mud flap, if ya know what I mean. Maybe a hula girl, Dice, 5:00 somewhere clocks, margarita drink glasses, musical notations, change in your pocket.( quarter, nickles and dimes) In other words, off the wall. I plan on name"n" the guitar with the fret markers in mind. Something different, Thank you. The other Dennis B. |
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Jack Dillard
From:
Elkton, Maryland, USA
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Posted 14 Oct 2009 4:19 pm
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How about cars and/or trucks? The shapes of monopoly game pieces?
Thanks,
Jack
_________________
Thanks,
Jack
My Site |
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Steve Norman
From:
Seattle Washington, USA
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Posted 14 Oct 2009 4:35 pm
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crop circles FTW!
something like a more simplified version of this:
_________________
GFI D10, Fender Steel King, Hilton Vpedal,BoBro, National D dobro, Marrs RGS |
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Ron Simpson
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 14 Oct 2009 4:44 pm
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| I'd guess there are more battle scarred Fender, Gibson and Valco steel guitars out there undergoing restorations than newly made instruments. The restoration avenue may be the way to go. |
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Dennis Brown
From:
Gowen, Mi. USA
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Posted 14 Oct 2009 4:58 pm fret markers
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GREAT ideas. I like'em all.
Ron, could you share a little more on your restoration avenue idea and thoughts? Maybe a example of?
Thanks, Dennis |
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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Craig Stenseth
From:
Naperville, Illinois, USA
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Posted 14 Oct 2009 5:55 pm
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How about tiny pictures of dominoes, with the appropriate number of dots showing?
Or LEDs with the numbers? |
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Rick Collins
From:
Claremont , CA USA
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Posted 14 Oct 2009 8:02 pm
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Dennis, since the guitar is metal I would make the fretboard from a sheet of copper.
When polished, it will give a good contrast to the texture and color of the metal body.
Frets and position marks would probably have to be black. |
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Ron Randall
From:
Dallas, Texas, USA
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Posted 14 Oct 2009 10:59 pm
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Consider "Chet Markers" . Fret markers used by Chet Adkins. These are half circle solid shapes, placed under the highest strings. This makes them easy to spot when sliding with a bar. My next guitar will have that for sure.
R2 |
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Ron Simpson
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 15 Oct 2009 5:25 am
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The restoration idea I was thinking of might include the Fender boards with rectangles and squares. This would be suitable for many models at 22.5", and even more if you did a 24.5" scale also. Gibson used dots back painted on clear for many of the top of the line models. Many of the mid range models used a more complex designs with different colors of the same design for the various models. The Valco products would probably be the most difficult since they had a wide variety of very eye catching totem pole designs to some almost three dimensional appearing fretboard designs.
There are quite a few threads on Stringmaster restorations. The recent Gibson steel guitar book,
as well as many of the books on Fender illustrate the boards. |
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Dennis Brown
From:
Gowen, Mi. USA
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Posted 15 Oct 2009 10:25 am fret markers
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Thank you everyone. I really like Steve Normans idea of crop circles. Tom Pettingill mentions how well it would fit the allready drilled sound holes,
I totally agree. It is somewhat of a ALIEN guitar (hence the new name, maybe) It really sets well with me. I like Rick Collins idea of copper, so I think copper inlay on a aluminun would look really hot. Ron Simpson mentions the restoration avenue. It to sounds good. I wish I would of thought of that in the beginning. (could be a new born) 
Thanks again for all the cool ideas. Dennis. |
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James Mayer
From:
back in Portland Oregon, USA (via Arkansas and London, UK)
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Posted 15 Oct 2009 1:46 pm
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| A stripper in graduating stages of undress. |
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Dennis Brown
From:
Gowen, Mi. USA
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Posted 15 Oct 2009 2:00 pm funny
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 Hey James. Thats not a bad idea, maybe a red head could be Optional?
Thats pretty funny. How about a nude deck of cards?
Thanks for the moment James. Dennis |
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Mark Bracewell
From:
Willow Glen, California
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Posted 15 Oct 2009 5:16 pm
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| James Mayer wrote: |
| A stripper in graduating stages of undress. |
yeah - or a holographic one, like those old naughty ballpoint pens, and at the twelfth fret, where there are two dots, you could... ok, never mind... |
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Dennis Brown
From:
Gowen, Mi. USA
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Posted 15 Oct 2009 5:35 pm Don't stop...
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| I was right there with ya Mark. Butt ya gave it up to soon. Dennis. |
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